Cannabis Quirks in Intellectual Property Law

Unless the federal government asserts otherwise, Colorado’s legal marijuana market is only going to become more competitive. With that in mind, cannabis entrepreneurs might require more guidance in protecting their brands, processes, formulas and other intellectual property that helps them compete. National law firm Greenspoon Marder delivered an IP primer presentation to an audience of professionals from marijuana retailers, medical dispensaries, manufacturers, cannabis-related tech startups and other companies. Held April 6 at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Denver, “Intellectual Property in the Cannabis Industry” was an interactive presentation where Greenspoon Marder attorneys Rachel Gillette and Justin McNaughton discussed basic IP protection and considerations specific to the cannabis industry. Greenspoon Marder, which currently has 15 offices in the U.S., opened its Denver office last summer with Gillette as its founding member. The Denver office, along with its office openings in Las Vegas and San Diego around that time, marked the firm’s entry into the marijuana law practice space. Gillette and McNaughton, who is a Nashville, Tennessee-based senior counsel in the firm’s intellectual property practice group, concluded the talk with a step-by-step demonstration on how to a file a state trademark for a marijuana property.